


How in the world could it go so far?

by alittlemore



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Fluff and Angst, I wrote this before watching season 2, Julia is a gay mess, don't even know what I'm doing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-11-08 21:31:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20842331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alittlemore/pseuds/alittlemore
Summary: It all starts with a deep wound and Carmen's soft voice trying to keep her awake. Then the next few times are far from being the result of a mission or even a sweet coincidence.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> English isn't my native language. Hope there isn't too many mistakes XD  


The first time Julia registers the gray blue of Carmen's eyes after the brief conversation on the train, she's not sure what's going on. Everything seemed to happen in front of her in less than a second. At first Julia has her gun aimed at a woman who is certainly part of VILE with her paper too sharp for the ACME agent to think that this is really paper and and with her very different figure from the security team of the National Museum of Rio de Janeiro.

"Do you want to try your luck, agent?" The woman raises her hands at chest level revealing numerous paper stars between her fingers.

And the next moment, Carmen's figure appears in front of her, pushing Julia to the ground to save her from the colorful origami flying toward.

The thief's face hovers just above her, her eyes widen slightly, and Julia can see tiny darker dots intertwining with the blue. She thinks of the meeting of the Seine River with the blue sky of Paris, the mix of tones from the last time she was in the French city.

“Are you ok?” Carmen asks without moving away.

Julia doesn't know what to answer, for right now the indistinguishable smell of iron reaches her nostrils and she feels the skin above her belly button damp. It's blood, she recognizes. But there is no telling exactly if it is hers or of the woman that still holding her against the floor. Her doubt disappears when the pain finally hits her turning her expression into a grimace.

“No. I think I’m injured”, Julia says in her trembling words and the thief shifts her gaze to the open wound on the agent's abdomen before getting up.

Carmen looks somewhere behind her and seems to weigh her available options. Julia watches the redhead pinch her lips as she helps her to her feet, offering her shoulders for support.

"No," Julia protests trying to lean against the nearest wall. "Go after her."

"I can't leave you like this."

"Devineaux is here too," she steps back a few more staggering steps. Julia wants Carmen to go her way, chase that woman and prove once again that she is doing nothing but what is right. But the thief approaches again and she can't refuse her help when her vision fades a little and Carmen's warm hand comes over hers pressing on the deep wound.

"Then I'll take you to him," Carmen says looking straight into her face. "I just need you to hold on a little longer."

"Okay," Julia tries to promise, but her senses slip away and all she can register is Carmen's tightening grip and her voice very close to her ears.

“No, no, no, Jules. I need you to stay with me, please.”

"I'm sorry to ruin your clothes," Julia manages to mutter before everything else goes off.

A few hours later when she wakes up, Devineaux is asleep on a bench near her bed, leaning fully against the wall behind him that Julia thinks is from a hospital. She looks at her bandaged skin, but that's not what catches her eye. At her feet is an Egyptian archaeological artifact that she recognizes is from the Museu Nacional.

_______________

The second time she's in the same space as the lady in red, Julia doesn't expect it. It has been two weeks since the mission in Brazil and the agent is in her London apartment still recovering. Julia comes out of her kitchen holding firm a cup of tea in her fingers when Carmen appears sitting on her couch, her long red hair messing with the wind that invades the room through the open window behind the thief. She looks at Julia with a crooked smile on her lips and the suggestion of a challenge to get closer in her blue eyes.

“What are you doing here?” She struggle to ask when Carmen removes her fedora putting it on the dark leather of the couch besides her. "How did you find me?"

"Hello to you too, Jules," Carmen gets up.

Julia is not sure how to breathe. The air vanishes from her lungs as the other woman approaches to stand less than a meter near her. Is she afraid of Carmen? No. It's not fear. Julia doesn't know exactly how to feel about it. The most wanted international thief standing right in front of her, smiling. But also the only one who has really done anything good in the international circus that became the hunt for VILE. Carmen is one of the good guys_. Julia knows that._ There is no one who can change her mind, not after she saved her life. There is no reason to fear Carmen.

Still Julia has trouble catching her breath and looks even harder when the late afternoon sunlight hits Carmen's face. Her heart is making a number on her chest.

“I just wanted to come by and see how you are doing,” Carmen comes a little closer.

“I'm fine,” Julia holds the cup in one hand so the other is free to push her glasses up her nose. "Still recovering but much better than last time we met."

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Thank you,” Julia says suddenly and her voice sounds much softer. “Thank you for saving me and for retrieving the golden mask for the Rio de Janeiro museum. I didn't have a chance to say back there in Brazil. Actually I never really had a chance to thank you for everything else. ”

"You don't have to. It's the kind of thing I do. My job."

“I’m aware of it. But anyway, thank you Miss Sandiego.”

"I'd like to hear Devineaux saying it," the thief smiles at the agent. "But as long as I imagine this is impossible to achieve as something in return for the work I've been doing, I'd like you to call me Carmen."

Julia feels her face warming and she imagines the blush reaching her cheeks as the smile of the woman in front of her widens a little more. She can't help but smile too.

The real reason why Carmen is there still pokes her ribs even though she wants to believe in the thief's words. Julia needs to be careful even if she trusts her. She is nonetheless an ACME agent and a connection with the other side could mean some breakthrough to finally track down what Chief has failed in twenty years. She just hopes Carmen won't back down because of it.

"So, are you really here to see how I’m doing?" Carmen's smile falters immediately and she regrets asking. But instead of what she thought, the thief doesn't back down. Carmen shifts her gaze to the floor and lets out a weird laugh before looking straight into Julia's eyes again.

“I thought you were going to ask that. Don't blame you with all this cat and mouse game going on. The truth, ”she studies the agent's expression. “The truth is I've been working around and thought a visit wouldn't kill me.” Carmen looks shy for the first time in the talk even though her words don't sound like that.

"Oh," it's Julia's turn to look away. Carmen's intensity burns her train of thought. "If so, would you like a cup of tea?"

“I would love it.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julia makes a dangerous move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey people!
> 
> I can't forget to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for everything I received with this fic. If I'm honest I didn't expect this much.  
This chapter is a little more angst and hard but I hope you don't give up on me XD
> 
> Sorry for any mistakes and hope you like it!

When Julia slams Devineaux's car door and the cold wind of Rome's winter hits her face, she's not so sure if it's a good idea to follow her partner's plan. But when she sees the Galleria Borghese standing before her with its majestic 17th-century architecture, Julia thinks the cold may not be that bad, though. She gets carried away by the thought that she may be about to contemplate Caravaggio and Botticelli and how she would never have had this opportunity if it weren't for her partner's insistence that this is Carmen Sandiego's next step. She can't disagree with him though, although she doesn't believe this is the red lady's next step. Julia knows better than that. Carmen did nothing wrong,  _ she knows that _ , especially after all the moments she shared with the thief. She sighs as the memory of their last date hits her. Carmen's lost eyes and her goodbye tone when the hug before leaving was a little longer and tighter than usual worried Julia. Especially after more than a month with nothing but Carmen's silence. Julia just hopes she isn't hurt.

Julia watches Devineaux's hard footprints on the thin layer of snow and follows him to the door to avoid any of his grumbling. He shows his identification to the guard who doesn't seem to understand much of his words intertwined with the heavy french accent but let them in recognizing the authority of Devineaux's card.

"Today I catch Carmen Sandiego", The ex Interpol inspector makes his way to the first room on the ground floor seeming to completely ignore the fact that he is surrounded by world-famous artwork, besides of course, the museum's own ambience also very impressive. Julia is not surprised. History has never been more than boring to him and there is nothing that will divert him from his goal of arresting la femme rouge tonight, nothing to convince him that Carmen had actually been helping them stop VILE all the time.

Devineaux suddenly stops in the middle of the way and turns to Julia who almost bumps against his back for being distracted by Pauline Bonaparte's sculpture. "Argent, I think we should split up. You go up and I stay on this floor."

"I don't think that's a good idea. What if VI-"

"Miss Argent, I know what I'm doing."

Devineaux offers no time to argue. He goes ahead leaving her behind between the sculptures with her brows furrowed. Julia sighs for his stubbornness as Devineaux disappears through the doors of the next room, though she knows it would be no use trying to convince him otherwise.

She access the nearest stairs with her weapon in hand. Unlike her partner, she is well aware of the danger meeting someone from VILE can mean. The scar on her abdomen won't let her forget it. As the rooms progress, the silence and darkness make her believe that it was Devineaux who chose the winning door. Moans of pain and a voice that is definitely not Carmen catch her eye near room nine, however, and she can do nothing but check it out.

Julia finds the figure of a blonde woman wearing a mask with bright green eyes. Tigress, she concludes from the stories Carmen told her of her time at the secret criminal organization. A security guard is standing beside her on the floor, his wrists and legs tied with rope. The feeling of déja vu keeps the ACME agent from getting too close and Julia crouches behind one of the sculptures. She pushes the button on her pen so she can alert Devineaux and other agents of her location and puts it in the inner pocket of her uniform.

"Be quiet or a tigress will use you to sharpen her claws," the thief threatens the man on the floor stepping on his chest the Rafael Sanzio's Lady with Unicorn under her arms. "Countess Cleo will be proud of this one", she transfers the picture to a briefcase.

Adrenaline invades Julia's body as Tigress is close to escaping through the wide window on her left. The ACME agent leaves her hiding place without thinking twice, even though her heart is pounding in her ears and her gut is wound in several knots by the familiarity of the situation.

"Freeze!", Julia points her stun gun at Tigress. "You are under arrest!" 

"Oh, that's cute", she mockes approaching the man on the floor. "She thinks she can catch me," Tigress laughs. "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

"Put the painting back!" The firmness in her own voice surprises Julia.

"Or what? Are you going to arrest me? I'd like to see you try. In fact, I have a better idea. Why don't you let me go and this man can live?"

Julia keeps her tight grip on ACME's weapon. Tigress doesn't seem to be joking when she forces the security guard to his feet and threatens to keep her words with her claws around the poor man's neck.

The loud clatter of tires reaches her ears as Julia watches the criminal's smile widen fiercely.

"Or I could take him with me. I'm sure someone would be more than happy for a new subject for all experiments," Tigress approaches the window with the man. "Last chance."

That's when Devineaux's voice echoes through the floor. "Argent," he calls before rushing through the room doors.

"Ladys and gentleman, the show is over", Tigress says and is about to launch the man through the hole in the window when Julia makes a decision in her despair.

"Wait! No! Let him go and take me in his place, instead", she is no longer sure what she is doing. Julia only knows that her plan seems to be working out when Tigress drops the man on the floor again and smiles.

Devineaux approaches her side with his weapon in hand. "Agent Argent, you can't do that. You must remember better than me what already happened before."

"I remember very well, Agent Devineaux. But this may be our only chance. Can you trust my plan just this time?"

The frenchman purses his lips and frowns at his partner. Julia thinks this is one of her worst ideas but the time is too short for her to come up with a better plan, so she decides to go on before it's too late. Tigress gives her an impatient look.

"If we have a deal, put your gun down and ask your partner to do the same. "

"Fine," she drops her stun gun and approaches with her hands to her head as the VILE criminal moves to loosen the ropes from the Galleria Borghese security team man.

Julia's heart seems to be moving toward her stomach. All her thoughts revolve around the desire for Carmen Sandiego to appear once more even if it is not to save her. If death is the consequence of your bad decision all Julia wants is to be able to look into the gray blue eyes and hear Carmen's voice for the last time. The lady in red does not appear, however. Julia is sure that her destiny is sealed.

"No kidding," Tigress searches her clothes and pulls the ACME communication device out of the inside pocket of her blazer.

"It's just my pen," Julia says watching Tigress narrow her eyes.

"I'm keeping it."

Another device Julia has lost, at least that means she can be tracked. A little hope, she thinks. But in the next few moments she finds herself in the dark back of a van to the sound of Devineaux's exasperated shouts and the friction of tires on Italian soil and all she can think about is how close is her plan to the wrong way.

**Author's Note:**

> Would be lovely if you let me know what you think :)  
Also find me on tumblr @demaisepouco


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